Heartless [2018, PDF/EPUB, ENG]

by Marissa Meyer

(7,219 ratings)
Book cover

From Marissa Meyer, the #1 New York Times–bestselling story of Wonderland's most notorious villain: the Queen of Hearts.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland―the infamous Queen of Hearts―she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In
Heartless, her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.


Praise for Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series:

#1
New York Times Bestselling Series, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller, National Indie Bestseller

“Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre.” ―
The Seattle Times

“Prince Charming among the cyborgs.” ―
The Wall Street Journal

Don't miss more from Marissa Meyer:

The Lunar Chronicles:
Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Winter
Stars Above

Fairest

The Wires and Nerve series:
Wires and Nerve: Volume 1
Wires and Nerve: Volume 2

Renegades

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Book details


  • Retail price : from $9.34
  • Author : Marissa Meyer
  • Publisher : Square Fish; Reprint edition
  • Published : 04-30-2018
  • Language : English
  • Pages : 480
  • ISBN-10 : 1250148189
  • ISBN-13 : 978-1250148186
  • Reader Reviews : 7,219 (4.6)

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  • File Formats : PDF, FB2, DOC, EPUB, TXT
  • Status : available for FREE download
  • Downloads : 3548

About the Author


Marissa Meyer


Marissa Meyer is a fangirl at heart, with a closet full of costumes, a Harry Potter wand on her desk, and a Tuxedo Mask doll hanging from her rear view mirror. Han and Leia are still her OTP. She may or may not be a cyborg.

Marissa is also the NYT bestselling author of a number of books for teens, including The Lunar Chronicles, the Renegades Trilogy, and Heartless.

Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.marissameyer.com or follow her on social media:

Instagram: @marissameyerauthor

Pinterest: @marissameyerauthor

Facebook: @marissameyerauthor

Twitter: @marissa_meyer

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Reader Reviews

J
Shen Shenanigans
Great Spin on a Classic
Reviewed in the United States on 01-07-2020
I recovered surprisingly fast (less than 24 hours, y'all).Okay, so on to the review that you all have been waiting for (or maybe not, considering it has been only 24 hours, but still).I do not like ever read villain stories. Why? Because I simply never had the mind to, for no reason at all except that I just don't get many villain stories on my TBR. And who knew if I'd ever get my hands on Heartless in particular? I'm not a huge fan of Marissa Meyer (and no, I didn't read Fairest and am not sure if I will ever get the chance) but TLC was pretty cool. The villain aspect of the story staved off my attention from it for a while, but alas, the pull of Wonderland was too much for me.In case you haven't figured, I. Love. Wonderland.I'm not even going to go full-out and describe everything I love about Carroll's wacky nonsensically magical and totally upside-down world. I was originally disappointed to learn that this story would have little to no mention of Alice herself, since... obviously... I like Alice more than the Queen of Hearts... BUT anyway. I still love the Wonderlandians themselves. So when I had the chance to read the first few chapters of this book a while back, I thought it would be okay if I gave it a try. My friends certainly recommended it. And hey. It's set in Wonderland.I'm so glad to say Meyer did not disappoint with her portrayal of the world beyond the rabbit hole (and through the looking-glass! never forget the looking-glass). She did a wonderful job painting out the wondrous wonders of Wonderland, staying true to Carroll's world in most parts, but taking liberty where you can. Although I do wish there was a teensy-bit-more to show of the wonderiferous. It could have been less Victorian-era, if you ask me. The uptight ways of the nobility kind of clashed with the carefree atmosphere that you often imagine when picturing Carroll's original Wonderland and... I'm not a fan.(Also, the whole Chess/Looking-Glass thing was wayyyy more complicated than I needed it to be, but that's probably just me. At least the Looking-Glass was mentioned, right?)The characters... Very nice. I liked Jest, at least. I was hoping he'd be a little more... *waves hand around* original? I thought he was cute. But I didn't exactly ship him with Cath. *shrugs*I liked Meyer's spin on the original Wonderlandians-- Hatta, the King of Hearts, and the White Rabbit were all well-done. Especially Hatta. Especially Cheshire.(If you know that I adore Wonderland, then you must know that the Cheshire Cat is my favorite Wonderlandian. I don't even know why. There's just something undeniably hilariously awesome about a cat who disappears with a grin.)Raven was a definite plus in this one. He was pretty awesome. I'm not a fan of Poe, but 'Nevermore' has got to be one of the most confusing, bewildering, amusing poems of all time and I loved that the raven got to fly in to Wonderland. Also, there's plenty of meaning in that infamous fantastical riddlish line 'Why is a raven like a writing desk?'Now to Cath. Hmm.I liked Cath well enough. She was a likable, sympathetic protagonist, and I think that was Meyer's goal here. Her character arc was very well done, in my opinion. There were little foreshadowing hints about her future as the dread Queen of Hearts scattered all throughout the story, and they just grow increasingly obvious to the end, when she... well... overreacted a bit. And that's the end of that. Haha. Or rather, just the beginning, if you're looking from Alice's perspective.Well, considering Alice never appeared in this novel.Anyway. The food descriptions of course were amazing and awful and torturous and delightful. I hate/love it when authors include rich food descriptions in their books because of how good it looks and how impossible it is to have it right then and there. But I guess you can empathize with that.The story itself was pretty darn good. I liked it and might reread it. I didn't get immersed into the romance (so maybe that's why I felt sad for Jest more than for Cath at the end if you know what I mean), but the characters were real, the story was real, and the ending was real. Some people are just dramatic like that.Now perhaps it's about time I go back and reread Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel...'.
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J
Kindle Customer
best book ever
Reviewed in the United States on 05-11-2023
It was so twisted and I loved it! I cried so hard. This is now one of my favorites. I thought mary ann was annoying.'.
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J
Shea T.
Grande Beginning; Rushed Climactic Ending
Reviewed in the United States on 12-06-2016
A wonderous if not heartbreaking tale of the Queen of Hearts path to wrathful tyranny. It opens to describe a Lady of noble birth who's greatest dream is to utilize her talented baking skills to attempt the unheard of (at least for one of her status)--open a bakery! Unfortunately, for her, her parents have different ideas, and instead--knowing of the whimsical and simple-minded King of Hearts affection for her and her confections--have plotted her ascent to the throne. A path Catherine is blindsided by, so wrapped in her own dreams is she; both literally and figuratively. On the very night she realizes she is to be proposed to, she meets the gaze of the newly arrived and enigmatic court jester--the aptly named Jest. And his eyes are intimately familair, for they are the same that she dreamt of the night before. Caught between her dreams, her desires, and the weighty expectations of others, Catherine struggles to make a decision. In the end, however, ...her fate is set.If you're reading this for a happy ending, look elsewhere folks. It's not here. Afterall, this is the story of how the wretched Queen of Hearts came to be, not an alternative ending. On that note, let's talk characters. Jest is obviously a favorite, being so mysterious and alluring...and yet, he is not fulfilling...not because he as a character falls flat...but because at a certain point in the book, information is just thrown at you. It's not presented as a furthering of character enhancement, but simple fact and in the end there is still so much that you don't know about Jest and where he comes from. The same can be said for Hatta or the would-be soon Mad Hatter. Both are well designed characters who you desperately want to know more about...but never really do. There is much to be explored in their characterization and their history with the land they come from. But, it is never touched, instead, you're given just enough detail to comprehend the story, but not enough to feel it is whole. And then there is of course, the main character...Firstly, let me just start off by saying, Catherine is immensely frustrating. I've looked at the reviews of other readers and found that many just can't relate to her. And that is understandable, because Catherine is the type of person that many people misunderstand. For me and probably others like myself, she is relatable. The main character, Catherine, Lady Pinkerton of Rock Turtle Cove...is sadly and unfortunately a people pleaser. She's got talent and grand dreams that she so desperately desires...but never so much as to upset the ones who place so much expectation on her. To onlookers, Catherine is a silly girl, born to a high position, but wanting a dream outside of it. Because she states one thing, but acts outside of it, she comes off as a wishy-washy, fickle, flake. But, the truth is...she is simply torn. Torn between her heart--it's own desires and the need to keep those around her happy. In the end, Catherine never manages to pursue her own desires until fueled with her own anger. If you were to ask my opinion, I'd say Catherine is a character with deep seated anger issues--ones that no one noticed not even she, herself. A seething rage that started small, probably with the chastizing of her unlady like love of being in the kitchen and has just silently been built upon as she tries to keep everyone happy; bottling her own misery and slapping on an agreeable facade all for the sake of peace. All the while letting annoyance and anger quietly simmer beneath several layers of complacency and escapism via the one thing that gives her joy; the dream of being a successful bakery owner. Of course, when she suffers the loss of her dream and the lover that represented so much more for her than passion, but, a way out of the weight of expectations and even more so, freedom of choice...it's hardly a wonder she lost her head. (Bad pun intended.) People always think that the signs of a break should be loud and noticeable, but they're subtle...with only the most astute being able to see the inevitable. Much like a natural disaster, the early signs are always there...but no one heeds them until lightning strikes. Catherine's moments of rage seem to be the only times where she is capable of being truly decisive and direct and that is a sign in itself. Like most breaking points, her own starts off with misery and hysterics, until in the end she embraces her rage and allows it to consume her. And thus the beginning of the Queen of Hearts.Overall, I did very much like this story...however, I feel that in the onset of the 3rd quarter of the book it suddenly began to feel rushed and that definitely ruined a lot of the connection to the characters--especially Jest and Hatta. The story picks up its pace rushing to the end, all the while dropping details like scattered bread crumbs in various directions. I feel that this book would have benefited from not only being made into a duology, but also if Catherine and her crew *SPOILER* had actually made it to Chess. We already knew that she would end up being the Queen of Hearts despite her intentions, but I think it would have been fascinating and a more fulfilling tale if she'd actually gotten there and had to return for some reason or other. I had actually read this with the assumption that this would be a series...so when I got closer to the end and realized this was it...I was a bit pained. I can only hope that Ms. Meyers will write a companion book that will expound on the world that is Chess.'.
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